In a statement yesterday, Azalina said the working visit from June 2 to 6 included her deputy M Kulasegaran, Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Human Rights, Elections and Institutional Reform chairman William Leong and the opposition block’s representative Awang Hashim.
Others in the delegation were officers from the Prime Minister’s Department’s Legal Affairs Division (BHEUU) and Attorney-General’s Chambers, and the president of the Malaysian Bar.
According to Azalina, the agenda for the study had started in Malaysia first with a round table discussion organised by the BHEUU, Monash University and Universiti Islam Antarabangsa (UIA).
“It was aimed at providing ways to ease the dialogue regarding the structure and roles of the attorney-general and public prosecutor as practised in Malaysia and Australia.
“The session was held by Marilyn Pittard, the interim dean of Monash University’s law faculty and attended by 50 experts from both countries as members of the panel and special lecturers,” she said.
Azalina added that among those involved were Malaysia’s constitutional expert Shamrahayu Ab Aziz and former chief crown prosecutor and director of public prosecutions of Victoria, Paul Coghlan.
Also present were representatives of civil society organisations and NGOs like the Human Rights Commission (Suhakam), Project Sama, CSO Platform for Reform, and the All-Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia on integrity, governance and anti-corruption.
Azalina said in Canberra, the delegation met with the deputy director of public prosecutions Australia Mark de Crespigny, and officers from the director of public prosecutions office.
She added that the highlight of the visit was a meeting with Mark Dreyfus, the attorney-general of Australia, for discussions about the current system adopted in Australia and to understand the process of prosecution and structure of the public prosecutions office in Australia.
“I also had the opportunity to meet Australia’s communications minister Michelle Rowland and deputy foreign minister Tim Watts at the Australian Parliament building to discuss various topics,” she said.
In her statement, Azalina said the Malaysian delegation also had an opportunity to engage in several dialogue sessions on institutional reforms with Malaysian students and professionals residing in Melbourne and Canberra.